Take the pressure down

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is very common and has wide-reaching health impacts. Untreated, it can damage our heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys - so it’s not something you want to ignore. Dr Marissa Kellaher shares some proven tips to lower blood pressure.

Lifestyle medicine can be incredibly powerful in treating and even reversing hypertension. For some people, this can mean not needing medication. For others, it can mean reducing medication and improving overall health. Either way, it will be worth it.

A healthy blood pressure is one of the first changes we often see in patients who improve their lifestyle in our clinics - even small changes make a big difference. Blood pressure readings should be 120/80mmHg or below - hypertension is defined as any reading > 130/80.

High blood pressure can be from be a variety of reasons. Lifestyle factors include:

 Lack of exercise

 High stress levels

 Poor sleep (or untreated sleep apnoea)

 Alcohol

 ‘Western’ diets high in sugar, fat, salt and processed foods, and low in plant foods

Other things that can increase blood pressure include:

 Medication

 Hormonal changes (ie menopause)

 Diabetes

 Kidney disease

 Genetics

Blood pressure does increase with age due to stiffening of the arteries, but not as much as we think - in populations that live a traditional lifestyle, blood pressure actually increases only a small amount with age, meaning there is far more we can do for our blood pressure than most people realise.

Some top proven tips include:

 Avoiding highly processed foods, especially those high in added salt/sugar

 Limiting salt, ideally to a maximum of 1500mg/day

 Including potassium rich foods in your diet such as fruits, veges, legumes, nuts and seeds

 Eating a plant-focused whole food diet.

 Including nitrate rich veges such as leafy greens in your diet (these dilate blood vessels)

 Eating foods rich in folate, vitamin C, and magnesium (such as brassicas, asparagus, dark leafy greens, citrus, and legumes)

 Swapping refined (white) grains for whole grains

 Getting regular exercise, aiming for at least 90-150 min/week of moderate cardio, plus resistance training

 Breaking up sitting for long periods with movement

 Not smoking (this doesn’t reduce blood pressure, but improves overall blood vessel health)

 Avoiding or minimising alcohol (max 1 standard drink/day for women; 2/day for men - less is better!)

 Getting enough sleep

 Keeping stress at a maneagable level and practising stress resilience strategies

 Coffee affects blood pressure less than you’d expect - for most people, 2-3 cups/day is OK

It’s worth making special mention of the DASH dietthis is a clinically proven diet that helps lower blood pressure. It’s high in veges (5+/day) and fruit (2+/day), high in whole grains and legumes, low in processed food and added sugar, low in saturated fat, and low in red meat. In studies, it can be as effective as some blood pressure medicines - plus it tastes great and boosts heart health, brain health, mental health, and general health too!

So, if you’re concerned about your blood pressure, why not try some simple changes alongside seeing your doctor for medical advice - they really do help.

Dr Marissa Kelaher is a GP and lifestyle medicine doctor. She runs health courses and offers one-onone consults at yourlifestylemedics.com